Al Baha travel guide
Juniper forests, escarpment views and the marble village of Dhee Ain
Al Baha is a small mountain capital between Taif and Abha, popular with Saudi families in summer. Come for Raghadan Forest Park and the marble-hill village of Dhee Ain, from June to September. Two days is plenty. Many nationalities can get the Saudi tourist eVisa online or on arrival.
Al Baha is the capital of a small province high in the Sarawat Mountains, roughly midway along the highland road between Taif and Abha. Saudis come in summer for the cool air and the forests. Outside the summer months the city is quiet.
Raghadan Forest Park, on the edge of the city, is the place to start. Paths run through juniper woodland to viewpoints where the escarpment drops away towards the Tihama coastal plain. On summer evenings it fills with picnicking families.
The sight not to miss is Dhee Ain, a village of stone houses stacked on a hill of white marble, with green groves at its foot. It lies below the escarpment south-west of the city, so it is noticeably warmer; go in the morning. The road down is steep and full of bends.
Stone watchtowers and old fortified villages dot the farmland around the city, many of them unsigned. With a car and a free afternoon, the minor roads between terraced fields reward slow driving.
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Forest walks, cliff-edge viewpoints and stone villages.
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Best time to visit Al Baha
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Cool days and evenings in the forest parks; the busiest time.
Quiet and clear, with cold nights on the plateau and milder days down at Dhee Ain.
Dhee Ain sits well below the city and heats up fast, so in summer visit it first thing in the morning.
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Getting there
Al-Aqiq flights or the Highway 15 ridge road
Al Baha's domestic airport (ABT) sits out on the plateau at Al-Aqiq, with flights from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. There is no railway, so from the terminal the choice is a taxi into the city or a hire car, and the car is the more useful of the two. Many visitors never fly in at all. Highway 15, the highland road along the Sarawat Mountains, runs north to Taif and south to Abha, and Al Baha is the natural overnight stop between them. From the Red Sea side, switchback roads climb the escarpment from the Tihama coastal plain by way of Al Mikhwah, the district around Dhee Ain.
- Airport
- Al Baha Domestic at Al-Aqiq (ABT)
- Airport to city
- Taxi or hire car from the terminal
- From Taif
- North along Highway 15 through the mountains
- From Abha
- South along Highway 15
- From the coast
- Escarpment roads up from the Tihama via Al Mikhwah
- Drive the escarpment roads in daylight; the bends are tight and summer fog rolls in quickly.
Where to stay
Plateau hotels, Baljurashi or down at Al Mikhwah
Sleep on the plateau. Summer nights there are cool, the forest parks are close, and nearly all the province's rooms are in or around the city. The villages below the escarpment are hotter and have little to offer in the way of beds, so most visitors drive down to Dhee Ain for the morning and come back up.
- Central Al Baha
- Shops, simple restaurants and most hotels, a short drive from Raghadan; packed with families in July and August
- Baljurashi
- A smaller town on the plateau to the south, quieter, with fewer places to eat; a fallback when the city is full
- Al Mikhwah
- Below the escarpment near Dhee Ain, warmer in winter; very little accommodation, so treat it as a day trip
- Summer is the only busy season here, so a July or August room should be booked well before you set off.
Getting around
A car for the forests and Dhee Ain
Al Baha is a small city, and taxis manage the hops between hotels and the centre, but nothing a visitor wants to see sits on a bus route. Raghadan Forest Park is on the city's edge, the old stone watchtowers stand among farmland around it, and Dhee Ain lies down the escarpment towards Al Mikhwah. Hire a car for all of it. The plateau roads are straightforward. The descent to Dhee Ain is steep and winding, and the air warms noticeably as you drop, so use a low gear and take your time.
- Car hire
- The practical way to Raghadan, the watchtowers and Dhee Ain
- Taxi
- Short trips within the city
- On foot
- Forest paths and viewpoints inside Raghadan Forest Park
- Allow more time than the map suggests for Dhee Ain; the descent alone is slow.
Know before you go
What makes Al Baha worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Dhee Ain in morning light, white marble under stone houses.
- Raghadan Forest Park viewpoints over the escarpment.
- Stone watchtowers standing in terraced fields around the city.
- Summer evenings in the parks, when the air is cool and families come out.
Good to know
- Fog can close in on mountain roads in summer; drive slowly.
- Dhee Ain is lower and hotter than the city; go early.
- Bring a layer for evenings, even in August.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Al Baha, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Al Baha are being researched.
Juniper paths one day, the marble village the next
Two days suit Al Baha: the juniper woods and viewpoints of Raghadan Forest Park and the old stone watchtowers of the plateau, then an early descent to Dhee Ain, the stone village on a hill of white marble. Be back on the cool plateau by lunchtime, because the village warms fast once the sun is high.
Keep day one on the plateau. Walk the paths of Raghadan Forest Park in the morning, when the juniper woods are quiet and the air is at its freshest. At midday, drive the minor roads past terraced fields and unsigned stone watchtowers. Return to Raghadan's viewpoints near sunset, when families settle in with picnics and the light falls across the escarpment towards the Tihama plain far below.
Day two is for Dhee Ain. Leave early. Its stone houses climb the marble hill above green groves, the photograph everyone comes for. Walk up through the lanes slowly. Keep the afternoon for a last walk in the forest.
Honey and hearty mountain cooking in the Sarawat highlands
Al Baha's food is southern mountain cooking, meant to fuel farm work on cold mornings, with honey from the beekeepers in these hills on every table. Restaurants in the city are simple, so on summer evenings locals take a picnic to the Raghadan viewpoints, where families spread rugs and the air cools pleasantly after dark.
Areeka is the dish to try: a heavy wheat dough kneaded by hand and served with ghee and honey poured into a hollow in the middle. Haneeth, lamb slow-roasted until tender and served on rice, is a meal for a group, and kabsa is on every menu in town.
These hills are beekeeping country, and town shops and roadside sellers stock local honey in jars of every size. Arabic coffee with cardamom and dates closes any meal. Pack food and water for a day out to Dhee Ain, as there is little on the road down.
A night or two on Highway 15 between Taif and Abha
Treat Al Baha as a stop of one or two nights on Highway 15, the mountain road from Taif in the north to Abha in the south, ideally between June and September, when the plateau stays mild and rooms need booking early. The roads are good but winding, so keep daily stages short and drive in daylight.
Fuel up in towns.
Summer brings fog and showers to the high roads. Winter is quiet and clear, with cold nights on the plateau and milder days down at Dhee Ain, which makes it a good season for the village and the drive down the escarpment. In any month, carry a warm layer for the evenings.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Al Baha.
Families & accessibility
From June to September the juniper woods stay cool and green while Jeddah and Riyadh swelter. Winter is quiet and cold on the plateau, which suits a trip down to Dhee Ain better.
General
Yes. Spend one day in Raghadan Forest Park and on the plateau roads, and the other on Dhee Ain.
A heritage village of stone houses built on a white marble hill above green groves, below the escarpment towards Al Mikhwah.
Taxis and car-hire desks. The terminal is out on the plateau at Al-Aqiq, and a hire car is the more useful choice.
A juniper woodland park on the edge of Al Baha with walking paths and viewpoints over the escarpment, busy with picnicking families on summer evenings.
Yes. It lies on Highway 15 between the two, and a night or two breaks the mountain drive nicely.
Evenings are cool even in summer, and winter nights on the plateau are cold, so pack a warm layer year round.
Areeka with ghee and honey, slow-roasted haneeth and the local mountain honey.
Al Baha is a small city, and taxis manage the hops between hotels and the centre, but nothing a visitor wants to see sits on a bus route. Raghadan Forest Park is on the city's edge, the old stone watchtowers stand among farmland around it, and Dhee Ain lies down the escarpment towards Al Mikhwah. Hire a car for all of it.
Al Baha is best known for:
- Dhee Ain in morning light, white marble under stone houses
- Raghadan Forest Park viewpoints over the escarpment
- Stone watchtowers standing in terraced fields around the city
- Summer evenings in the parks, when the air is cool and families come out
Getting there
Fly into the domestic airport at Al-Aqiq (ABT), or drive Highway 15 from Taif or Abha.
Not easily. No bus runs down the escarpment, so you need a hire car or a driver.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Al Baha is Jun to Sep. Mild mountain summers while the lowlands swelter.
- Best overall: June - September (Cool days and evenings in the forest parks; the busiest time)
- Winter: December - February (Quiet and clear, with cold nights on the plateau and milder days down at Dhee Ain)
Visa & documents
A one-year multiple-entry tourist eVisa is available online or on arrival to citizens of many countries, including the UK, the EU, the US, Canada and Australia, and holders of valid US, UK or Schengen visas may also qualify. Umrah is allowed on a tourist visa outside Hajj season; Hajj needs a special visa.
Health & safety
Crime is low, but laws are strict and penalties severe, including for drugs and alcohol. Regional tensions can affect travel; check advice for areas near the Yemen border.
